Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to an improved boot, such as a firefighter""s boot, which has a novel arrangement of strapping to restrain movement of a wearer""s foot within the boot. The improved boot allows one size of the boot to be comfortably worn by a wearer whose foot is sized to any one of a range of sizes and also causes a boot of the size of the wearer""s foot to be more comfortable.
2. Description of the Related Art
As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,543, which is assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, prior efforts have been made to develop a boot so that one size of the boot can be comfortably worn by a wearer whose foot is sized to any one of a range of sizes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,543 discloses an inner sock of elastic material, such as closed cell neoprene foam, which sock is fixed to an insole of a boot and to a calf area of the boot.
Although it is believed that the boot disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,543 can be comfortably worn by a wearer whose foot is sized to any one of a range of sizes, it is believed that such a boot cannot be easily manufactured with a predominantly rubber upper and with a predominantly rubber sole, by conventional vulcanizing methods, as closed cell neoprene foam takes a set and loses its elasticity when vulcanized, whereupon it is believed necessary to glue the inner sock into the boot after the boot has been vulcanized without the inner sock. Moreover, it is believed that such a boot is prone to failing where the inner sock is glued into the boot, particularly when the boot is removed while the liner is wet.
This invention has resulted from further efforts to develop a boot, not only so that one size of the boot can be comfortably worn by a wearer whose foot is sized to any one of a range of sizes but also so that the boot can be easily manufactured with a predominantly rubber upper and with a predominantly rubber sole, by conventional vulcanizing methods.
This invention provides a boot, which is similar to prior boots in that the boot comprises an upper, an outsole affixed to the upper, and an insole affixed within the boot, which may have one or more midsoles between the sole and the insole. As in prior boots, the upper includes a vamp, a heel, and a shaft. As improved by this invention, the boot comprises at least one strap affixed within the boot and adapted to restrain a foot of a wearer so as to limit movement of the foot away from the heel, further into the vamp. Preferably, the boot comprises two such straps, an ankle strap and an instep strap below the ankle strap.
Preferably, the boot comprises an insole disposed within the boot and a liner disposed within the upper. If provided, the liner is affixed to the insole and is affixed to and around an upper portion of the shaft, above the at least one strap, but is not affixed to the vamp, to the counter, to the quarter, or to a lower portion of the shaft, at or below the at least one strap, which wraps the liner where the liner is not affixed.
In a preferred embodiment, in which the boot comprises the ankle and instep straps discussed above and the liner discussed above, the liner is affixed to the insole and to the upper, to and around an upper portion of the shaft, above the ankle strap but is not affixed to the vamp or to a lower portion of the shaft, at or below the ankle strap. Moreover, in the preferred embodiment, the ankle and instep straps wrap the liner where the liner is not affixed.
Furthermore, the boot can be advantageously modified by providing another strap, such as an elastic strap, which is adapted to draw the ball of the wearer""s foot downwardly.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of this invention are explained in the following description of a preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.